"Alright. I can be your sister. Don't break your word, and start to take good care of me from today on," said Louisa cheerfully. She forced a contented smile on her face. Anyway she was happy to be his sister, at least for now. She had been offered the opportunity to turn the tables.
"I never break my word. As long as you stop treating me like a suitor, then we can get along. Remember, I'm married and off-limits as a love interest," answered Kevin seriously. The gift really showed who Kevin was. He always did what he said, and he promised her a birthday present. But, after he agreed to hang out with Louisa on occasion, Leena might get jealous and even heartbroken. But he didn't even think about this.
I see. So bro, I'd like to have dinner with you again. It would be rude to turn your sister down, right?" said Louisa, putting a charming smile on her face. When she stopped being hysterical, she looked soft and beautiful.
"Yeah as long as I have the time," he answered carefully. As far as he was concerned, Louisa was every bit as willful and mischievous as his own sister.
"Goodbye, bro," said Louisa gratefully. She knew she shouldn't push Kevin too much. Being nice and considerate might be a workable strategy when she tried to win his heart. Yeah, she could do this, she decided. She waved at him, turned and walked away.
"Bye," said Kevin. When Louisa's voluptuous figure disappeared from his sight, Kevin got in his car and drove away. He felt relieved now that he and Louisa had made an agreement. However, he had no idea that Louisa wanted much more than what he could offer.
In Leena's mind, clear skies and beautiful clouds were always the most stunning scenery, making a strong contrast with the blue sea and the brightly-colored flowers. Leena's mouth twitched, looking at all those beautiful things. Nevertheless, what troubled her mind was the guy who kept harassing her and following her wherever she went.
She wouldn't be bored by the charming scenery on two sides of the River Seine, and everything looked as wonderful as seeing it for the first time, perhaps because of the weather, the culture and the people.
"Mignonne, when will you go back to China?" Gerard asked Leena anxiously and tentatively. Gerard was afraid that Leena might not be charmed and fall in love with him if she were to leave France soon.
"I don't know. Maybe in a month. Actually, I'm not sure. Maybe I'll leave sooner, as long as I'm allowed to graduate. Why do you ask?" answered Leena. Leena liked the feeling of boarding a boat and cruising the River Seine, which might inspire her designs. The conversation didn't break her stride at all. She continued to draw and dip the brush as she talked to Gerard.
"I'm afraid that you might leave without letting me know," answered Gerard. He smiled awkwardly, like a shy boy at his first date. He still hadn't figured out her unique differences from other designers who usually chose quiet environment to work. On the contrary, Leena liked traveling and inserting new elements into her designs, and created entirely new works, which was awesome as far as Gerard was concerned.
"Don't worry. I'll let you know before I leave," said Leena in a reassuring tone. Leena smiled sweetly. After Gerard promised that he wouldn't try to hit on her anymore, her attitude towards him changed. He was just a regular guy, and she could treat him with the same respect she showed to everybody.
"Alright. Then I'll drive you to the airport and say goodbye," said Gerard. A month was enough time to enchant Leena, or at least persuade her to stay in France. Gerard knew this was his last chance. If his strategies didn't work, he had to let her go.
"Thank you. You're so nice," said Leena. It was still too early to be sure about what she would do or not do in the coming months. However, she still thanked him sincerely. Then, she raised her hand to pull her stray hair behind the ears. At that moment, the wind blew her design draft away, and into the air. She stretched out her hand immediately, trying to grab it, since it was too important for her graduation thesis to be lost in a river. Then, she lost her balance, teetering on the rail.
"Mignonne, watch out!" shouted Gerard. However, it was too late. Leena fell into the water with a splash.
It never occurred to Leena that she would be so stupid to fall into water accidentally. Even in the daytime, the water was freezing. Although Paris had a pleasant oceanic climate, without an insanely hot summer or severely cold winter, the temperature of water in river was still low. Luckily, Leena could swim, and her life wasn't in danger. Unexpectedly, Gerard jumped into the water without a second thought to save her.
Mignonne, are you alright?" Gerard gave it his all, lifting Leena over the rail and onto the boat, with assistance from other sailors. Fortunately, the rail wasn't high. Otherwise, they would have to give up trying to get her back on board, and try to swim towards the bank with her in tow.
"I'm fine. Thank you," answered Leena in a trembling voice due to the cold. Her dress was wet and now clinging to her slender body, which drew admiring glances from the sailors.
We better come back to shore," said Gerard worriedly. Gerard took a blanket from a sailor, and hastily draped it around Leena's body. Her lips and face were drained of color. She was really cold.
Yeah, We should do that," she answered. Leena wrapped the blanket tightly around her body, and her face went extremely pale. Her whole body was as cold as ice, as she was wet from head to foot.
"Are you still cold?" asked Gerard. He had already taken off his coat. At the sight of a bath towel in a sailor's hand and seeing Leena tremble from head to foot, Gerald grabbed the towel and put it on her body to keep her warm.
Thank you, Gerard. You saved my life," said Leena gratefully. Leena put on a forced smile on her face. She didn't refuse Gerard's kindness, as she knew French men were usually strong.
Well, we're friends, aren't we?" Gerard looked at her face passionately, and stopped himself from wanting to hold her in his arms and kiss her. He was happy to know that Leena began to warm up to him.
Yeah, we're good friends," answered Leena, echoing Gerard's words. Leena wiped her hair with the towel to hide her embarrassment. A cold wind was blowing from the east, she felt cold and sneezed.
Leena changed and took a hot shower as soon as she got home. Besides, she also cooked hot ginger soup to try and banish the chill. She had always been a frail girl since the childhood, and was easy to get cold and fall ill. Today, thanks to her falling into the water, she got a bad cold, complete with a runny nose. She had already used up a whole box of tissues to blow her nose. In addition to all that, she felt dizzy and weak. At the thought of redoing her design draft that was swept out to the river, she had to choke back her tears. She needed to fight against her physical fatigue and discomfort, sit at the table and try to finish her work, in case she forgot all those creative ideas when she woke up the next morning.
"Ah-choo! Dammit!" Leena had to blow her reddening noise, and felt even more uncomfortable as she felt the burn of abraded skin. She resisted the urge to go to bed, and continued to concentrate on her unfinished draft. She didn't drop the pen and climb to her bed until an hour later when she finally finished all of her work. She was exhausted.
When she lay down on the bed and felt the soft cotton sheet against her skin, a sense of weakness swept over her, and brought tears to her eyes. She had been coddled and loved by her family since she was born. Besides, she became sentimental whenever she fell sick. It was normal for her. She made no pretensions of being anyone else.
However, it suddenly occurred to her that she missed Kevin so much. If she couldn't enjoy his company, hearing his voice was good enough to comfort her. Excited by the idea, she forgot that it was after midnight in her home country. With an eager desire, she called Kevin over the phone. When she realized what she was doing and was about to hang up her mobile phone, she heard Kevin's sleepy voice and there was no way for her to backtrack now.
Hello! This is Kevin. Who's that?" asked Kevin. He was awakened by the noise of his mobile phone. Before checking his phone and figuring out who was calling, he picked it up and answered it.
"Kevin, it's me. I'm sorry to call you in the middle of night. I forgot it was past two in the morning there, " Leena answered apologetically. Hearing Kevin's voice on the phone, she had to refrain from sobbing, and she got hoarse and trembled. You could hear it in her voice.
"Good morning, sweetie, what's up? Are you crying? What happened?" Kevin jumped to his feet immediately, and any drowsiness he felt vanished. The fact that Leena called him so late at night, sobbing, worried him a lot.